5 Driving Safety Tips For When Pedestrians Are Present
5 Driving Safety Tips For When Pedestrians Are Present
Each and every year thousands of pedestrians become injured because drivers did not follow safety protocol when operating a motor vehicle around people walking or riding a bicycle. That said it is always important to remember when operating a motor vehicle that pedestrians have the right-of-way without exception. Consider the following simple traffic safety rules for drivers who encounter pedestrians in order to be safe:
1. Allow pedestrians to cross – For example, when no traffic signals are present at an intersection, drivers should always slow down and stop completely to allow pedestrians to cross either at an unmarked or marked crosswalk.
2. Make eye-contact with pedestrians – It is always good safety protocol to make visual eye contact with pedestrians to let them know that you see them and that they see you.
3. Stop for buses – Another important consideration with regard to maintaining high levels of safety when pedestrians are present is to stop when a school bus is present with its flags up. Drivers should remain fully stopped until a bus stop signal has been completely retracted and all red warning lights have been turned off. This also includes other types of buses, such as day care buses and even church buses.
4. Pay attention to school zone signs or crossing flags – An official stop sign or crossing flag lets drivers know the children are present and will be entering into the roadway. Anytime children are being picked up or dropped off it is vital to maintain a high level of awareness. Anything less is simply not acceptable when children are present near roadways.Drivers should always come to a complete stop and exercise extreme caution under these circumstances.
5. Reduce speeds when in school zones – Along with stopping for crossing guards, it is essential to pay strict attention to speed limits in school zones. Many accidents have occurred in the past because drivers were unaware of the reduced speeds found in school zones. Slowing down and watching for children should be standard procedure for any driver. This is especially important because children have not developed the adequate judgment to avoid contact with a vehicle on the roadway. It is also important to note that traffic fines for speeding in a school zone can be quite severe.